Raymond sat in the waiting room outside the Sterling Industries conference room, dressed in a tailored suit that the system had helped him select. The suit was expensive but not ostentatiously so, designed to convey success without arrogance. His hands were steady. His mind was clear. But his heart was racing with the magnitude of what was about to happen.
In a few minutes, he would walk into a room where the most powerful people in the region would be waiting for answers. He would have to explain how a janitor had acquired thirty percent of a billion-dollar company. He would have to convince them that his intentions were benevolent and aligned with the company's interests.
Margaret Sullivan's assistant escorted him into the conference room. The board of directors sat around a long mahog
